This paper presents quantitative and qualitative findings from an interdisciplinary research project exploring student teachers’ positive perceptions of people on the autism spectrum. The set of findings reported in this paper asked 704 student teachers from one university in England (n = 191), Finland (n = 251) and Sweden (n = 262) to write down the first three words they thought of to identify the characteristics of people on the autism spectrum. Data was analysed using a multi-layered, deductive co-rated coding approach. Through this approach repeated words were extracted as were negative and undetermined words, leaving only positive words. Examination of the positive words identified found differences in the manner student teachers focus on the positive characteristics of people on the autism spectrum as this is an understudied area of research. Finnish student teachers more frequently used language to describe the positive characteristics of people on the autism spectrum that reflected their perception of learning being their primary professional role. However, English and Swedish student teachers used language that showed they perceived their role as encompassing the social and emotional development of their pupils, with little reflection about the positive characteristics of people on the autism spectrum as learners. 

This chapter explores how music has potential to enhance social inclusion for First Nations children in British Columbia, Canada, diagnosed with autism. Two cases from a research project illustrate how opportunities of social inclusion vary due to factors such as living on or off reservation, and distance to autism services. The diagnose, discourses and practices of autism are based on a dominant medical deficit model which does not harmonize with the philosophical assumptions of Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing. The concept of Indigenous and Indigenist models of disability, special education, or diversity, and how they can be an alternative way of designing and implementing educational autism support services and interventions is discussed in the chapter. There is a dearth of research about First Nations and autism, and additionally, in relation to music and social inclusion. Therefore, this chapter not only contributes to put focus on the topic, but also inspires educators, researchers, and policy-makers to reflect upon the possibilities that culturally specific, culturally sensitive, indigenized, music interventions can offer First Nations children with autism in their social inclusion.

Förskollärarutbildningen har en viktig uppgift i att ge studenter möjligheter att utveckla sinaförmågor att kritiskt granska forskning och omsätta den i det praktiska arbetet i sitt kommandeyrke. Den beprövade erfarenhet som finns hos förskollärare på fältet kompletterar och informerar forskningen. Inom det specialpedagogiska forskningsfältet finns behov av forskningi och om förskolan. I syfte att konstruera en modell för specialpedagogisk forskning medförskollärarstudenter som medforskare och medförfattare gjordes en pilotstudie utifrån enintervjuuppgift knuten till verksamhetsförlagd utbildning under termin två påförskollärarprogrammet vid Karlstads universitet. I artikeln presenteras utvecklingen avmodellen samt resultat utifrån forskningsfrågorna i relation till Healys modell förforskningsbaserad utbildning.

Little is known about student teacher attitudes towards pupils with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We explored the predictors and mediators of attitudes toward ASD across three groups of European student teachers (N=704), within three national settings (Sweden N=262, Finland N=251, England N=191).  Key findings suggest greater contact quality, perceptions of positive social norms towards ASD, and perceptions of competence of people with ASD individually predict more positive attitudes, whereas greater affective intergroup anxiety predicts more negative attitudes. Contact quantity or perceptions of course knowledge, were not associated with attitudes.  Implications for teacher training in the three national settings are discussed.

This conceptual paper presentation focuses on developing a new theoretical framework, an Indigenist model of Special Education, in which Special Educational practices and research within Indigenous contexts can be designed. In contrast to the dominant deficit and social models that are founded in Western worldviews, the foundation of an Indigenist model of Special Education lies upon Indigenous philosophical assumptions. Furthermore, an Indigenist model of Special Education provides the opportunity for Indigenous and non-Indigenous teachers and researchers to work together: ”This emphasizes that it’s a philosophical issue, not a claiming of ownership by one group of people. You can be a white Indigenist just like you can be a male feminist” (in Adams, Wilson, Heavy Head & Gordon, 2015, p. 20). This is of importance as to a certain extent Indigenous pupils will be educated by non-Indigenous teachers, and research conducted within Indigenous contexts will be designed and conducted by non-Indigenous researchers.

Theoretical framework

The Indigenist research paradigm is a relatively new development in Indigenous research. Rix, Wilson, Sheehan and Tujague (2018, p 2) have defined Indigenist research; “Indigenist research respects and honors Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing through using methods that are informed by, resonate with, and are driven and supported by Indigenous peoples”. By placing Special Educational practices and research within an Indigenist paradigm, we argue that the diverse needs and interests of Indigenous pupils and communities will be addressed more adequately. Core concepts in this model are Indigenous paradigms, self-empowerment, de-colonization, power and reciprocal relationships.

Methodology

This presentation is based on our research conducted in Canada with First Nations (e.g. Lindblom, 2017) and Sámi in Sweden (e.g Jannok Nutti, 2018). Examples of inclusive practices based on Indigenous philosphical assumptions will be used to discuss paradigm tensions and how an Indigenist model can be helpful in deconstructing, reframing and reconstructing Special Educational practices and research within Indigenous settings.

Relevance to Nordic educational research

An Indigenist model of Special Education can be used in research and practice, and must be conducted in accordance with the philosophical assumtions within the specific Indigenous context. Therefore, In this paper, the concept of an Indigenist model och Special Education is relevant in the Nordic educational research setting, as well as in Indigenous contexts over the globe.

References

Adams, D. H., Wilson, S., Heavy Head, R., & Gordon, E. W. (2015). Ceremony at a Boundary fire: a story of Indigenist Knowledge. Longmont, CO. Retrieved from: http://hdl.handle.net/2123/13689

Jannok Nutti, Y. (2018). Connecting Sami education to the land and lived experience. In: J.E. Petrovic, R.M Mitchell (Eds.), Indigenous philosophies of education around the world. New York: Routledge.

Lindblom, A. (2017). Exploring autism and music interventions through a First Nations lens. AlterNative-an International Journal of Indigenous Peoples. p 1-8 DOI:10.1177/1177180117729854

Rix E.F., Wilson S., Sheehan N., Tujague N. (2018) Indigenist and Decolonizing Research Methodology. In: Liamputtong P. (eds) Handbook of Research Methods in Health Social Sciences. Springer, Singapore.

Interculturality is about enabling relations based on equity and respect between cultures. When doing research within Indigenous context, I work within an Indigenist paradigm. This means putting my Western preconceptions aside as a non-Indigenous researcher, and embracing Indigenous philosophical assumptions. A core goal is decolonization, which entails the obligation to disseminate research results to student teachers as a step in decolonizing teacher education, and the academy. Knowledge about the history and organization of the Swedish educational system is a learning objective in teacher education.  In this paper session, I would like to discuss possible implications for intercultural relations that arise from the invisibility of Sámi schools, and their history, from the content in teacher education, using my work at Karlstad University, Sweden, as an example.

Engaging in respectful relationships is an essential aspect of all research and educational practices. Colonial residue, and the maltreatment and misinterpretation of Indigenous peoples by researchers, puts a great responsibility on the researcher to strive for balance in power relationships within Indigenous contexts. Even more so, in research and education involving Indigenous children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This may be easier said than done. In a PhD project on the meaning of music for First Nations children diagnosed with ASD in British Columbia, Canada, visual mapping was used to rebalance the power relationships between myself as a researcher and the research partners as a step toward decolonization. The visual maps were used to summarize conversation transcripts that could be used to validate my interpretations and disseminate the research results, create a mutual focal point for negotiating consent and participation and show progress over time. Visual methods, such as visual mapping, are beneficial to individuals with autism, and can also be useful when rebalancing power relations with other research partners, such as parents. In conclusion, visual mapping can be a useful tool for rebalancing power relationships in research and educational practices.

Theoretical framework, objectives and research questions

In Sweden, Finland and England, inclusive education is advocated in school legislation. Subsequently, support for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is generally provided within the mainstream classroom. It is likely that student teachers will encounter pupils with ASD during their practical placement, and in their profession, as ASD prevalence has risen markedly worldwide, and currently stands at approximately 1 in 100 (Autism Europe, 2016).

Teachers require knowledge about ASD to ensure inclusion and the adequate delivery of support and intervention methods. Such knowledge could be about representations of ASD regarding social interaction and communication, which can offer challenges for the pupil in the mainstream context (Shereen & Geuts, 2015). However, previous research has mainly examined teachers’ and student teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion of pupils with ASD (e.g. McGregor & Campbell, 2001; Ross-Hill, 2009), and not investigated teachers’ in-depth understanding of ASD interactions and communications. This study aims to fill the gap through the application of an empathy-based story-writing method with student teachers.

The project represents a collaboration between researchers in Psychology and Special Education at three European universities across Sweden, Finland and England. The purpose of this presentation is to present preliminary findings of this ongoing interdisciplinary research project and obtain feedback and comments from the scientific community.

The research questions posed in this phase of the project are:

1. How do student      teachers describe imagined interactions with pupils diagnosed with ASD?
2. How do student teachers      describe the success or failure of interaction with pupils with ASD?
3. Are there      differences in student teachers’ stories between Sweden, Finland, and      England?

Methodology  

The project involved a survey with a quantitative section and qualitative sections. This paper presentation will focus on introducing results from the qualitative data, which consisted of a task where student teachers were asked to write about an imagined teaching situation. The student teachers were asked to write about a positive and a negative teaching situation with a new pupil diagnosed with ASD, a method referred to as empathy-based stories. Empathy-based stories are writings that are created by participants according to an introductory script provided by a researcher (Eskola, 1998). This method is also called a passive role-play method and it is used for gathering information on the experiences and ideas embedded in narratives produced by research participants. It was originally developed in social psychology and it is a modification of active role-playing method for studying the participant’s interpretations of situations (Ginsburg, 1979; Eskola, 1997). In our study, the student teachers were first asked to write about what happened in the classroom, and then how they felt about it. Next, they were asked to write about the interaction with the pupil, and lastly, what they felt the pupil thought about them. This exercise was planned to be short, approximately 5 minutes per story. The final sample comprised 704 student teachers (Swedish N = 262, Finnish N =251, English N = 191). A coding scheme was made by the Finnish researchers, and before coding in Sweden and England, 10 negative and 10 positive stories were co-rated by the research team to ensure adequate inter-rater reliability. 

Expected outcomes

The coding and analysis process is ongoing, but we plan to have some preliminary results to report from the three countries at the ECER conference.

References

Autism Europe. Prevalence rate of autism. (2016). Available from: http://www.autismeurope.org/about-autism/prevalence-rate-of-autism/

Eskola, J. (1997). Eläytymismenetelmäopas [A guide to method of empathy-based stories].Tampere: Tampereen yliopisto.

Eskola, J. (1998). Eläytymismenetelmä sosiaalitutkimuksen tiedonhankintamenetelmänä. [The method of empathy-based stories as a method of acquiring data in social research]. Tampere: Tampereen yliopisto.

Ginsburg, G.P. (1979). The effective use of role-playing in social psychological research. In G.P. Ginsburg (ed.). Emerging strategies in social psychological research, Chichester: Wiley. 117–54.

McGregor, E. & Campbell, E. (2001). The attitudes of teachers in Scotland to the integration of children with autism into mainstream schools. Autism : The International Journal of Research and Practice, 5(2), 189–207.

Ross-Hill, R. (2009). Teacher attitude towards inclusion practices and special needs students. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 9(3), 188–198.

Scheeren, A.M., & Geuts, H.M. (2015). Research on community intergration in autism spectrum disorder: Recommendations from research on psychosis.  Research in Autims Spectrum Disorders, 17, 1-12.

Talib.T.L., & Paulson, S. (2015). Differences in competence and beliefs about autism among teacher education students. The Teacher Educator (50)4, 240-256.                             

Intent of publication

It is intended that findings from this phase of the project contribute to at least one peer-reviewed article, to be disseminated in a high quality journal covering this area of interest, e.g., Autism, European Journal of Special Needs Education, International Journal of Inclusive Education, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, and The Teacher Educator. Conference presentations are also intended.

Keywords: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Student teachers, Disability Attitudes, Teacher Education, Inclusive Education